This invention relates in general to the cleaning of floors and more particularly to an engine powered floor buffing machine that is used for the cleaning of large floor surfaces.
Supermarkets, large department stores and other buildings that have large floor surfaces require frequent and regular cleaning of their floors, especially when the floors receive public foot traffic. Although electric powered floor buffers can be used on smaller floors, the buffers that are normally used for commercial purposes to clean larger floors are powered by propane engines or other internal combustion engines. The buffer must often travel down one long aisle and return along the next aisle, and electric machinery is unsuitable for this type of application for a number of reasons.
The engine powered buffers that have been available in the past are not entirely satisfactory in all respects. Perhaps most notably, they are heavy and bulky machines that the operator has difficulty in maneuvering in a manner to effectively buff all areas of the floor and particularly corner areas and areas that extend along walls or other barriers. Also, small engines of practical size and weight are usually air-cooled, and due to the combustion properties of propane engines, overtemperature often leads to the need for expensive repairs. In addition to the engine, the machine must be equipped with a propane tank and also with a battery for supplying electrical power to the starting system and other electrical components. Arranging these large components in a compact configuration without reducing their ability to function effectively has long been a difficult problem. The fuel tank is typically strapped in place behind the axle where its mass partially counter balances that of the engine. This leaves as the only available place for the battery the area behind the fuel tank. However, mounting the engine, fuel tank and battery one behind the other creates a machine that has considerable length, and its turning radius is reduced accordingly. Another problem is that when the machine is tilted back to expose the buffing pad for pad changing, the battery is also tilted and acid can leak from it.
Existing floor buffing machines typically house the circular buffing pad within a flat, circular shield. Mounted on the shield is a box structure providing a platform on which the engine, fuel tank and battery are mounted. This type of configuration requires relatively thick gage sheet metal in order to provide enough strength to bear the weight of the machine components. The need for thick gage sheet metal increases both the weight of the machine and the cost.
Another problem is that the operator must push and guide the machine, and this can lead to operator fatigue. The flexible fuel lines that ar used are susceptible to rupture and other leaks that can create dangerous situations. It is also common for operators to leave the machine running unattended, and this creates additional safety problems.